Cheap 5000S Fuel Pump Replacement

[Daniel Wood <dwood@efn.org>]

Hello!

I'm writing for a student friend of mine who owns
a 1985 Audi 5000S wagon (fuel-injected).  I wasn't
able to determine if it's a SOHC or DOHC model, as
I'm not at the same location.

A  buzzing noise made itself known from the rear of 
this high-mileage vehicle some time ago.  He was told 
by a local mechanic at his rural Mississippi location
that it was probably the fuel pump and he could expect it
to fail fully and soon.

Well, apparently it did.  And expensively, too.  He 
returned to his idling car to find it would no longer run and
wouldn't restart.  I suggested looking for obvious causes,
like an empty fuel tank or clogged fuel filters and failed
fuses.  No luck there.

The cheapest new (aftermarket) replacement I can find for
him is priced at nearly $300 for the part alone.  It seems 
the pump is fully submersed in the fuel tank and requires 
the tank be completely drained and removed for replacement.

Is there any cheaper alternative?

Could an aftermarket electric fuel pump (i.e. Holley, etc.)
be mounted and wired externally to draw through the existing, 
dead fuel pump without removing it?

Any suggestions from the list would be very much appreciated.
We all know hard it can be for students to make ends meet, so
inexpensive solutions are the most welcome.  Let's try to get
Raj back on the road!

Thanks for your help,

(8^{D}  Dan.

Daniel B. Wood, Ph.D.
EdCon3 Educational Consulting